Coolant Bleeding the No Stress, No Mess Way!

greenplasticme · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 5:39 pm Post subject:

I feel special!

I am gonna make a trip to the hardware store and find a piece of pipe that can go in the tank and use the rubber cuff on that. Then just Teflon tape the he'll out it and see if that works...

Masta Shake · Posted: Sat Jul 23, 2011 3:42 pm Post subject: Re: the bong

ebennett · Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 6:48 am Post subject:

Awesome! After last nights geiser I am eager to give this a try!
_________________
GDTRFB

Getawayvanman · Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 6:12 pm Post subject:

I did three coolant flushes this week. Jeep TJ, Subaru Forester and '85 vanagon. I was dreading doing the van given all the places air could potentially get trapped and left it for last. Got on The Samba as I usually do before starting any job on the van and discovered the bong method. Let me tell you. Refilling the van was a breeze with the bong and flushing the system with the help of a shop vac made it even easier. Was the quickest and least messy of all three jobs. Mr. Libby is a genius!

dubbified · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:19 pm Post subject:

i'm going to be filling my coolant system..

I'm gunna get this going.. awesome idea to do the vinyl a tad below the rubber fitting, so when you drain the bong.. it back drains to the proper level.

Killer idea.

DAIZEE · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:35 pm Post subject:

I made my Libby's Bong and carry it religiously and perhaps some day I will need it again but now with new rad, new cooling system and new engine, I don't have any more coolant problems BUT it will stay in the van none the less. Oh soooo many times I could have used it and didn't have it! Hopefully it's like an umbrella, if you carry it, you won't need it Laughing

_________________
'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)

dubbified · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 2:18 pm Post subject:

does anyone have measurements of the rubber reducer?

I'm going to stop by the hardware shop, did not see that listed.

eeebee · Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2011 5:54 pm Post subject:

dubbified · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 12:11 pm Post subject:

Oh! Thank you, I missed that.

Awesome. I am so going to do this..

Corn1849 · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 1:47 pm Post subject:

I took a hit on a Libby Bong this weekend and I'm another satisfied customer Very Happy

Couldn't find a PlumbQwik reducer, so I ended up going with a 1.5" to 1.5" flex Coupling and a 2" to 1.5" ABS coupling.
I had to s t r e t c h the flex over the 1.5" ABS..... but it worked perfectly.

I lifted the front end when filling and had very little to bleed.

Kudos to Andrew. Cool

_________________
Now: '89 Westy
Then: '99 EVC
Before then: '84 Westy
Way before then: '64 Bus

DAIZEE · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:07 pm Post subject:

hmmm I thought with the Libby Bong you didn't need to raise anypart of the vehicle as the bong is higher than everything. Confused

_________________
'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)

Corn1849 · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:11 pm Post subject:

You don't, ... But I think lifting the front end hastens air movement from the horizontal hoses to the radiator bleed valve. Confused

_________________
Now: '89 Westy
Then: '99 EVC
Before then: '84 Westy
Way before then: '64 Bus

Team WorldTour · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:51 pm Post subject:

Why would you 'lift' the front end?
With the nose down, gravity pushes the air out.
I've never used the 'bong', but with a blown head gasket last year, I got real good at bleeding out the system. Nose down is the way to go.
_________________
1990 Feldjäger Syncro AAZ
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When All Else Fails: Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

Corn1849 · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 4:01 pm Post subject:

"There is no gravity, the earth sucks"

Lift the front, Lift the back.... no matter. IMHO, Lift one or the other to get the horizontal hoses on an incline. Bently sez the front... Ben sez the rear (but used to say the front). It's all good too me. I just happened to choose the front. Razz

_________________
Now: '89 Westy
Then: '99 EVC
Before then: '84 Westy
Way before then: '64 Bus

DAIZEE · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 4:13 pm Post subject:

maybe its obvious but don't lift the bleeder higher than the bong's colum of antifreeze or you'd be defeating the bong.
_________________
'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)

Rhinoculips · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2011 4:36 pm Post subject:

All I have done in the past was use a hi-lift jack on the hitch between the tie down loops. Then raised the rear end high enough that the top of the burp tank was a couple of inches above the radiator bleed screw. Never even had to run the engine during filling. It was no doubt slow, but efficient. Then i would take the van for a ride up Loveland pass. This would bring the coolant up to normal temps. Upon returning home I would park on an uphill slope and open the bleeder screw and let the "expanded" coolant push the rest out of the radiator. This worked incredibly well. Thus I have had no need for the bong, but for the "conversation piece" and a curiosity factor I tried the bong last week. It does the same thing, minus having to jack up the rear.

FYI- I have a pecock(sp?) on my radiator from Kennedy Engineering that has a clear hose on it so you can see how well the coolant is coming out, direct the coolant into jug(even less mess!) and open/close the valve with my finger(no need for a wrench). I highly recommend it!
_________________
“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” - Edward Abbey

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ricebowl · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 10:50 pm Post subject: Suh-weeeet!

Just bought my '83 Westy a couple of weeks ago and panicked when I couldn't get the blinking temp light to go out. After MUCH research on this wonderful resource called TheSamba, I came across Andrews "Libby Bong".

Bought the parts today at Home Depot, came home, assembled everything, went through Andrews steps in post #1, and all is right in the world again.

I cant thank you enough Andrew, your idea made a once daunting procedure actually sound like fun. Oh, and it took all of 30 minutes. Applause

If you're ever in the SF Bay area hit me up and I'll buy you a drink of your choice.

If anyone reading this is in the SF Bay area and would like to borrow my "Libby Bong", "Libby Pipe Method", or whatever you want to call it, just send me a PM.

Thanks again,
Eric

joseph928 · Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:44 pm Post subject: libby bong

My new syncro came with a Libby bong, took me 2 months to figure what it was. Now cool thanks ! Very Happy

_________________
1987 syncro westy tin top sun roof , GW2.3, rear locker, decoupler, Gary Lee tire rack & winch mount, lift, south african grill, big brakes , rhein alloy ,15 BFG AT, Fiamma 10 foot awning ,140 watt rear 85 watt front solar , mppt, truckfridge, automatic fire extinguishing system, tencent oil cooler, And a RMW SS exhaust! - 1971 bug convertible 1776 engine- 2010 Subaru turbo - 1993 Toyota 4x4 truck - 1999 Harley 95 CI, big bore, Andrews cams . Also 80-84- vans. Stock 65 sunroof bug.

lehmikangas · Samba Member Joined: January 10, 2005 Posts: 51

Here is another happy Libby Bong user.

My only problem was to locate proper fitting to match the reservoir and some pipe. I ended up using a rubber tube with 44 mm inner diameter. This clamped pretty well. The clear smaller hose was 12 mm outer diameter.

Turbolou · Samba Member Joined: August 07, 2005 Posts: 61

Just built my bong, but I want to be clear on my procedure, would you all kindly check me here:

All heat controls on full heat
Rear heat valve under seat open (bleeder closed)
Radiator bleeder closed
Bong attached to overflow tank (should there be fluid in the coolant fill tank, or just the overflow tank?)
Engine off

Fill bong & walk to font of van
Open radiator bleeder and listen for air out of the radiator hole
When air stops and coolant runs out, replace the bleeder screw.
If no coolant runs out, close the screw and add more coolant to the bong and have another go
Close radiator bleeder valve
Start van
Rotate between opening radiator bleed valve, revving the van to 2,000 rpm or so, and refilling bong
Once it's up to temp, shut it down.
Then, drain the bong, replace cap on expansion tank, and done?

A couple questions:
Should there be fluid in the expansion tank when I'm done?
How will I know when the system is properly bled?
Do I need to open the bleeder on the thermostat housing at any point?
_________________
Dave

Currently:
1969 Beetle got it when I was 14, hoping to have it ready by the time I turned 16. Still in primer in my garage. I'm 41.
1986 Westy ("ALAN!")
1982 Porsche 924 that I’ll probably never get to! Wanna buy it?


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Coolant Bleeding the No Stress, No Mess Way!
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